Bad Office Romance
by Krazy Kit Productions
Summary: What would happen if Raccoon City never happened? What if our Resident  Evil characters were placed in a office setting, the simple police force of the city.  There is no virus outbreak, not yet anyways. Forever on Hiatus.
1. Nightmares

**[**Part 1; Nightmare**]**

The hallway was lit only by the moonlight which gently descended into the hallway from the few grand windows that were spaced. Chris could count four of them as he moved carefully, eyes trained ahead. His breath was shallow, his pulse thudding in his head. He could hear every groan the house let loose, every creak of the boards under his combat boots. Sweat dripped down his brow, a reminder of how running from those...those things was possible and yet wasted a lot of energy that he desperately needed to conserve. He wouldn't survive long if all he did was flee. The Beretta 92F handgun was trained, ready to kill if the need rose. Chris, a young man of twenty three, paced himself as his chocolate brown eyes took in every little detail that the house had to offer. The dust on the walls and floor. The cobwebs that hung from the ceiling. Honestly, this place was like out of a horror movie. But what was he doing here? He wracked his brain, trying to remember why he was here, what he was running from, or at least where he was. Why did this old abandon house seem so damn eerie? Like something could pop out of the walls? Was he on a mission? Looking for some captive or something like that. Chris halted his movement, standing still as he listened to an old grandfather clock's ticking at the far end of the hall.

What was going on and why did he sense his doomsday was creeping up on him like the shadows that stretched along this narrow hallway? Chris lowered his weapon slowly, shaking his head. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt like he was having de javu. Like this was all vaguely familiar. His lips pursed as he walked over to a mirror that hung on the wall and wiped the thick layer of dust from it with his gloved hand. His reflection stared back at him, a worried expression on a generally handsome face. Suddenly, the mirror version of him was moving on it's own. He watched with astonishment as his own face twisted in horror. He seemed to be screaming 'run' as he turned and fled down the same hallway he was now standing in. Was he losing it. He was officially crazy. His attention was pulled away once again as loud crashing, like glass breaking, rang out at the far end of the hallway. It had him whirling around, his weapon back into it's ready position though his hand was far from steady. And then he realized what he had been running from. The things that just came jumping through the window, the monsters that were still in hot pursuit.

The dogs looked like they were overly large Doberman pinchers. However, there was something very, very wrong with them. Chunks of flesh were missing from the creatures, their organs and bones exposed. And without hesitation, they turned their sharp teeth towards Chris. The leader of the pack let out a gruesome howl and charged. He could see it's jaw, half way gone on the right side as the mutt sprung at him. Part of it's ear was gone, chewed away by another member of the pack; it's ribcage hung open on the left for all to gaze upon.

The stunned male fell backwards, his gun going off and luckily hitting the zombie dog clear in the head. It gave a yelped of pain and fell backwards in mid-leap, black and red blood oozing from it. However, it's kin were rushing in. They sensed weakness and the heat of new flesh. The first of the remaining three was nearly on him when another shot rang out, and the monster fell in a heap at his feet. "Chris, this way!" Came a harsh toned command.

The voice belonged to his captain, Albert Wesker. Chris blinked and suddenly he was in a very dense forest. All signs of the room he was once in were gone, but the mongrel that tried to eat him was lying at his feet. His eyes turned to his superior who held a flashlight in one hand and a standard handgun in the other. His sunglasses covered his cold orbs which Chris was sure, were concentrated on the remaining zombie dogs that were still there. The brunette picked himself up quickly and began to run towards his savior. Wesker shot twice more before striding along side the other police member. Chris' eyes swung to the left, catching sight of another co-worker. Jill Valentine ran with them, her beautiful woman features twisted into horror and shock as she sprinted towards their destination. Blood adorned her face, though he wasn't sure it was her own. His eyes went back towards where the team had been moving to. A lone mansion suddenly stretched out before them, Wesker's voice barely behind him as he commanded for them to head for the seemingly abandoned building. They were nearly there, the doors opening and the white light swallowing him whole.

Chris felt himself stumble and fall to the oak wood floor. Wincing and yet in one piece, the dark haired male looked up to find that his settings had changed again. He was in some kind of lab, like the ones from a scifi movie. He stood up carefully, examining the large tubes that seemed to be carrying millions of human like creatures with overly large arms, claws the size of rhino horns and their living hearts beating from their chests. "Ah, hello there Chris." Wesker whispered from the shadows, sitting in a large chair in the middle of the large white room. "Were you able to get that paperwork done for me?"

As if on cue, a large stack of papers popped up next to the startled officer. "I see you've been slacking Christopher." Wesker said, though a smirk was evident on his face as his hand reached over to a small button that was on his arm rest. "How disappointing."

The floor opened beneath the male and he screamed as he plunged into ice cold water. Shivering and treading water before looking up at what was now the ceiling, he called the other male's name in anguish as the trap door closed, stealing the light away with it. Chris struggled to get his bearings, swimming forward when he felt something nudge his leg. He didn't want to know what was in this dark water with him. He hit a wall after a few moments. Banging on it with his fist, he could tell it was glass by the texture and the thudding sound. Again, something nudged by his waist. Turning in the water, he pressed his back to the glass. A blinding light suddenly flooded the area, blinding the officer.

And when he opened his eyes, he cursed loudly. The tank he was in was huge. About the size of a large personal swimming pool across and about thirty feet deep. But that wasn't the worst part. A large dorsal fin was circling him, and below him were two more great white sharks. Chris began to glance around, looking for something, anything to help him. He turned back to the glass, where he could see Wesker and two more scientists, or at least that's what they looked like, watching him. "The virus will be complete and you are going to help make it happen. You should be proud Chris. You served some use to me." Wesker said, waving to his coworker as though he were saying farewell to an old friend.

"Wesker, you son of a bitch!" Chris growled until he turned back to locate the sharks. A set of jaws was opening, heading straight towards him. He placed his arms up, closed his eyes, and waited for impact. And he sat up straight in bed. His eyes wide and his head twisting and turning for the beast that attacked him and realized his alarm was screaming at him. Time for work.

**[**Part 2; Another Day at the Office**]**

The smell of coffee in the morning usually made Chris in a better mood, but not when he could smell it on his clothing. He had gotten up, still dazed from the bizarre dream, slipped on the bottom step and effectively hit his head, spilled his coffee on his vest and thus had to quickly try and get the stain out before grabbing his keys and heading to his car. It was snowing in Raccoon city, Christmas on the way. People were setting up decorations of light up reindeer and placing trees in their living rooms. A small smile came to his features as his eyes went back to the road, reminding himself to call his father later and wish him a merry Christmas early, since usually, he was in the office all day for the holiday. People liked to get drunk then and Wesker wasn't the type to let any task force member off, just cause it was some silly day that everyone celebrated. Of course, this didn't suit well at all with his sister.

Claire Redfield reminded him a lot of their mother or what they had been told she was like. She was stubborn and it was her way or the highway and she had that look in her eyes that said 'do it, or you'll regret you didn't'. Even if she was younger, she always was able to make Chris do what she wanted, but it wasn't because she demanded. It was because Chris was a softy when it came to family. He was protective of Claire and because she was so close to him, he couldn't tell her no unless the situation was dangerous or she wanted to date some guy. The two lived together since their father had been very sick and was constantly in the hospital. He was in a frail state, as far as Chris knew anyways. When he left the air force, his father had been very disappointed.

But the connection was still there. He still called for Christmas and his father still wished him happy birthday. Their mother, well, they didn't talk about that. To Claire, the woman was a traitor and dead; for running off when they were young. To Chris, he never considered that he had a mother. He only knew the stories his dad told him and how he remembered her from his fifth birthday party; the only real memory that stuck out of her. He sighed as the light ahead turned red and pressed lightly on the brake, waiting for the traffic. His lips parted, taking a deep breath and watching a cloud of white smoke float in front of him. He had a leather coat on over his normal green vest and white shirt, but he was sure that he'd be fussed over because he didn't have a scarf or gloves that didn't have holes in the fingers. Claire wasn't the only 'sister' he had.

The thought made his lips curve into a smile as he pulled into the parking lot. Outside were a few of the officers, having a smoke before they were to go into the office and be plagued by the phones and their superior. Chris locked the car and smirked at Joesph Frost, who was waving him over. "Chris! Damn weather is a bitch huh?"

"I didn't have any problem with the roads." Chris said with a small shrug and turned his eyes over to the other two officers; Kenneth Sullivan and Richard Aiken.

"Yea, but the cold weather reminds me of a certain person's attitude and we have to deal with him enough as it is." Joesph whined, flicking the rest of his cig into the snow.

He was talking about Albert Wesker. The man was like a cobra. He struck when he knew he had the prey down where he wanted them, or when he felt threatened. He was about as sentimental as one too.

"Don't forget his pig secretary." Richard muttered, shaking his head. "At least you can't question his sexuality anymore. Before he hired in a secretary to help him with filing, I swore he had eyes on you, Chris." He said, nudging the man in the side.

Chris glared at Richard who gave him a smile of a hyena. Chris had personally trained under Wesker, as did Jill Valentine, Barry Burton, and Enrico Marini. "Yea, well. Maybe he did it so you'll have something to stare at all day, instead of causing more trouble than needed." Joesph piped up, snickering as Richard's jaw dropped.

"I don't stare at anything. Excella is a bitch, and everyone knows it." He protested, red as a tomato; which he soon blamed on the wind.

Excella had come in two years ago from a company called Tricell. She was a beautiful woman in body but ugly in the face and personality. Her hair was always up in a bun, dark mud brown. Her face was always pasty with too much make up and her voice had an accent like she had been watching too many Dracula movies. "Her voice makes my ears bleed."

"I hope you aren't talking about me." Came a feminine voice from behind Chris, though this one was much more mature and made his lips curve into a smile.

Jill Valentine walked to the small circle the men had formed, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "You guys better watch your mouths or she'll be using you as her personal pick on pet." She teased, grinning at Chris who raised a brow and mirrored her facial expression.

The two were partners and had always been very close. "Yea, well, it wasn't me that was talking about her. Besides, if she hears someone is actually staring at her chest-"

"And who are we taking about, gentlemen?" Came the annoying sound they had all been waiting for.

The pig in all her glory stood there, a white fur coat keeping her warm in her skinny black dress she had on, which as always, showed off how well equipped she was. Enrico was the smartest on excuses, so naturally he didn't miss a beat. "Some bimbo at the doughnut cafe. Where do you think all of us cops go, after our breaks? Surely we have to stuff our faces full after a days' work. Wasn't that what you said before, Mrs. Gionne?"

The whole force broke out into laughter as she rolled her eyes and stormed past inside. "Albert will hear about this."

"Albert doesn't give a flying-" But the door slammed before Kenneth could finish.

Enrico sighed and headed in after her, giving it a few seconds so she could go to her office and shut the door, to avoid having to look at her anymore than he had to. Richard winked and walked in with Joesph as well, while Jill grabbed Chris' arm and held him back. "Where the hell is your gloves? Your hand is freezing and your neck is going to get wind burnt." She scolded, like he knew she would.

"I'm not five, Jill." He said, flushing from her worrying over him, but his eyes widened when she took off her black scarf and placed it over his neck.

"There. Now you know what to get me for Christmas." She said, offered him a teasing smile, and strolled passed him. He watched her walk inside, hearing a wolf whistle behind him once the door shut with a click.

Picking up and handful of snow, he turned and threw the packed ball at Forest, who laughed as it hit his arm. "Hey now, I'm only admiring from afar." He said, walking over to Chris and slugging his shoulder playfully. "Looks like you got a keeper, ohhh buddy."

"Me and Jill are just friends...partners...nothing more. You are reading too much into it, Forest." Chris assured him, but he had to admit; he was starting to wonder too.


	2. The First Death

Chris typed away at his computer, his head set on. It was Joesph and Forest's turns to take patrolling. Raccoon city didn't really need too much protection, seeing as it was a simple city, barely even big enough to be called that. His lips pursed as he took another call. "This is Raccoon City police, officer Redfield speaking. How can I help you?" He asked, drumming his fingers on the desk before him.

The woman's voice was young, too young to be a mother. You were able to profile people after a while on this job, and the girl sounded no older than fifteen or so. "Hello? My little brother is lost out in the edge of the woods! He went out there because I dared him too and if my parents find out…" The girl started to sob.

"Hold on there, missy. Don't cry. It's gonna be okay. Where and when did he go missing?"

He took down the girl's name, her parents name's and phone number, the time the boy went into the woods, and his description. "Alright kiddo, sit tight. I'm on my way." He assured her. "I'm gonna put a girl named Rebecca on the line and she's gonna talk you through this, okay?"

Standing, he motioned for Rebecca to come over. The girl was pixie like, her eyes wide as she moved to his desk. She was only a girl herself, having graduated at such a young age. However, Rebecca was a sweet and caring girl. She handled all the medical and some of the lab work, going out with the team when medical assistance was required immediately. Her brown hair and forest green eyes complimented her face well. Her hair style was much like a young boys, giving her a tomboy sort of look even though her frame was petite and frail. She wore a green shirt, pants, and white vest; the sign of a medic on the back. "Can you talk to the girl on the line? Her brother is missing. I'm gonna head over there right now with Jill and Barry and call Joesph for back up." Chris said, standing and handing the phone over to her.

Her face lit up like the fourth of July. Chris could easily read that she had a bit of a crush on him, or maybe that was simply because she felt important when they needed her to do something. "Y-yes, of course." She stated, sitting in his seat. He could hear her ask the girl's name and started to talk about what school she went to.

Chris headed down the hall and into Weskers office after knocking. Updating the man on the situation, Wesker gave him leave with the orders to call the department if they hadn't found little 'David' in an hour. "And Chris?" His voice rang out, bored and business like, "Please refrain from talking about Mrs. Gionne's breasts. It is unprofessional and I will not tolerate such vulgarity."

Chris felt his ears go red as he looked back at the male. He was wearing sunglasses, as he always did, so he couldn't see his eyes to know if they were looking at him or the computer in front of him. His hair, golden blonde, was slicked back and neat. He wore a navy blue shirt, black vest and pants, and his mouth always seemed creased downwards in a frown. Once, after being lectured for an hour because the team had almost lost a criminal in a speed chase, Jill had commented on this factor. To his delight, Enrico muttered; "It's cause the bastard ain't getting any ass and anything he does get , he has to pay twenty bucks or more for."

Walking out, he grabbed up Jill and Barry and updated them on the situation as they walked out to the cars. "I bet she's bawling her eyes out." Jill muttered from beside him.

"Kinda serves her right though, daring her little brother to go into the woods."

"Chris!"

"I'm just saying." He said, shrugging his shoulders and then pulling up to where he could see the young girl and her parents waiting. Joesph was already there, arms crossed. "What's the uptake?" Barry asked as he walked over, eyeing the parents as they moved closer. He was better with calming people down, being a family man himself, so Chris let him go over to hear the families story. "Me and Jill will go in and you and Barry can take the west side if we don't find him right away."

Jill was already heading off into the line of the woods. Chris knew she had the heart of a mother lion who would protect her cubs. She was worried for the boy. Chris grew up in these woods, so he wasn't too worried. It was in the middle of the day, the forest was dense but if someone called for little David from the woodland line, he'd probably be able to hear it. And so they started their search. Combing through the brush and shouting David's name, the two continued to work the east side. The more time past, the more Chris began to worry. "This is bad…"

"Of course it is." Jill said, turning her head to gaze at the male.

"No, Jill. I grew up in these woods. If a kid went in here, I could probably find him for you. And I know if he heard us, he'd come running….and something just doesn't sit right with me." He stated.

There were no cries for help, no sobbing. There were no signs of foot prints or a trail to go on. It worried him. A lot.

And then his blood froze at the sight that greeted him over a log. The small body of a child was face down in the dirt. There was blood all down the side of the log, dripping into a pool. Jill let out a gasp and he could hear her scrambling away, vomiting. His eyes closed in pain as he couldn't get the image of the poor boy out of his head. He picked up his radio and took a deep breath. "Captain…you'll want to get down here. We've found David….he's dead." He said, his hands shaking as he stared down at the body that had been torn to pieces here and there, as though wild dogs had gotten to the poor boy. Chris felt his own stomach threatening to empty on him. Jill radioed Barry and he could hear the pain in her tone.

Chris tore his eyes away from the child's face which was ripped away. He had a younger sister and if anything had ever happened to Claire like that. His stomach was twisting as he thought about it. This was one of the first deaths in Raccoon City this year, and little did Chris know, it wasn't going to be the last.

!

Claire sighed as she walked out of her 'criminal justice' class. The teacher was a joke. She could learn more from her brother than that clown and Chris wasn't the sharpest tick in the pack. Her eyes scanned the side walk as she moved along it, listening to Lady Gaga and wondering how the hell she was going to get through this semester with an asshole of a teacher. He was demanding they do five pages of how law enforcement is necessary. She could sum it up in one sentence.

There would be utter chaos without it.

The young girl sighed as she continued to head towards the café. She knew Chris wouldn't be home for a good four hours, since it was only three o'clock and their captain ran them ragged. Claire ran a hand through her reddish hair, lips pursing when she could hear steps mirroring hers. Someone had followed her from the classroom and she was getting a bit annoyed. If the guy wanted her number, she didn't have time. "Excuse me?"

"You know, stalking a girl usually creeps them out." Claire snapped as she turned and blinked.

The new guy from class stood in front of her, his arms crossed as he peered down at her with his dark orbs. He was about 6'2 with well toned muscles under a t-shirt (which made her question his sanity, since it was snowing), and a pair of worn out jeans. His dark hair was pushed back, a five o'clock shadow placing the finishing touches on him.

And then she gasped, realizing who he was. It was Billy Coen, the male that had graduated with her in high school two years ago. "Billy! I didn't even recognize you!" She cried out, giving him a hug.

Billy had been a good friend, looking up to her brother while he perused a dream of going into the military. He had been shipped over seas fourteen days after graduation and it was believed that he had died when his camp was bombed by an unknown force. To see him brought tears to her eyes as she released him from her tight embrace. "How are you? What happened? I thought you-"

"Went into the military?"

"No no! The news reported a bomb dropped on the area you said you were staying….you never returned any of my calls and they said they didn't believe there were any survivors."

Billy looked surprised by this and gave a slightly confused look. "I don't remember much of my time over there to be honest…I wondered why I was discharged…"

"You were-?"

"They said I had memory loss. I forgot everything back to graduation, and even that is really fuzzy." He said with a sigh, shrugging. "I can't go back though, so I guess I'm just gonna have to find a normal career. I saw you and knew it had to be you. You wore that red vest in high school." He said, gesturing to her get up. She was wearing a red vest that had 'Made in Heaven' on the back with an angel, a black t-shirt underneath it. Instead of the matching shorts however, she was wearing black jeans with a red belt that hung off her waist.

"Anyways, I wanted to know…do you think we could…go out sometime?" He asked, fiddling with the book bag that was over his shoulder. "I'd like to catch up and…well, I wanna try and remember everything that happened, if you could fill in the gaps." He said, looking down at her with almost desperation.

It scared her, a bit. Like he was afraid of what the past could hold. "Sure, where do you live now?"

At this, his lips closed. "Around…"

"Billy, don't be ashamed. I know being discharged had to be hard-"

"Well the thing is…I kinda…I'm staying at a shelter. I could only get a scholarship for being in the military and my job doesn't pay enough to help me cover rent."

Claire's lips formed a small 'o'. "You are coming home with me then." She decided then.

Billy opened his mouth to protest but she covered it. "You fought for our country and my brother won't care." She said, hoping in her mind that she was right.

"You're going to let a boy live with you who isn't related to you? You'll be an item in no time." Came a sing song voice from behind Billy.

The girl was in their class, though she hardly looked like she could be cut out for an officer job. In fact, she was the president of the United State's daughter; under cover. Too bad everyone in Raccoon city knew where she was. Ashley Granham raised a brow as she walked around Billy, looking him up and down and gave a sort of disgusted look. "Can we help you, Ashely?" Claire asked, her tone laced with impatience.

"Oh, you already have! Wait till Casey and Trisha hear about this!" She said, giggling and waving as she walked past. It was only now that she saw the unfortunate person that had to follow her around as 'body guard' for the week.

Leon Kennedy sighed as he moved away from the wall he was perched against a few meters away. "Sorry about that Claire." He said, remembering her from when he was first introduced to the team. Claire had been there to give her brother some lunch.

"Watch your bitch from now on, then." She said, as he seemed to be sizing Billy up.

The words made him open his mouth wide but she simply shrugged. "It means female dog and that's the idea I had behind it when I said it."

"You could get in troub-"

"What is she gonna do? Scratch my eyes out?" Claire asked, placing her hands on her hips and rolling her eyes. "Anyways, let's go Billy. Good luck with tracking your-"

"Claire." Leon growled, warningly.

Billy glared at him, but Claire quickly moved in front of the two to make their eye contact break. "For your information, Mr. Kennedy, my own brother take that tone with me and it gets him no where. It's going to get you even less." She said, turning and grabbing Billy's hand for good measure and walking away with a saunter in her step.

She didn't like being treated like some stupid civilian and she probably knew more about the law than the cookie cop did. Running a hand through her hair, she looked over at Billy and gave him an apologetic smile. He simply chuckled as they walked into the cafe. It might have been since her brother was in the force or it might be that she wanted to be a detective some day, but her ears instantly picked up what the T.V. was saying as they walked in.

A older woman stood in front of the desk of the Raccoon news station. The flashing red headline of 'BREAKING NEWS; BOY'S BODY DISCOVERED IN WOODS' made her cup a hand over her mouth. Billy's hand squeezed her own, his eyes directed at the television and a look of fear and aggravation crossed them.

"Only a few hours ago, the young body of David Kurting was found. What started as a search for a missing person has turned into a tragedy. The body was found by Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield-"

She didn't hear anymore. She was already running towards the parking lot. If she knew Chris...Billy was on her heels as she got on her motorcycle. He stopped, admiring her choice of vehicle. She revved the engine, let Billy get on behind her and took off out of the parking space.

She knew he wouldn't be at the station. Wesker wasn't stupid. Obviously, Chris had a family that made it hard for him to stomach such things, always having his baby sister on his mind. She flew through the back roads and to an apartment complex on the west side of town. She stopped the bike and jumped off, nearly pulling Billy with her as she ran up the steps to the three level apartment complex. Throwing open the door, she found him. He was sitting on the counter, head in his hands. Chris was a brave person, death never really bothered him too much. But for some reason, she knew this one had.

Call it a sibling bond. "Chris..." She stated, walking over to him.

His eyes were empty of emotion when he looked at her. "Chris...you can't always be a hero."

"I'm not a hero, Claire." He growled out, running a hand through his hair. "I'm far from it."

His arms grabbed her suddenly, holding her close. He knew that it wouldn't happen to her. Not to his little sister. He would never lose her, not like that. Claire stood there, a bit shocked at first before her arms circled around her brother, before slowly pulling back. "Yea, you are way too imperfect for that." She teased, making him smile. "Anyways, I have a favor to ask..."

!

The sound of the alarm clock going off wasn't needed to wake up Chris Redfield. He had been awake for the last hour and a half, only able to get about three hours of sleep from tossing and turning. His dark eyes glared at the device before he hit it, making the blaring ringing stop. Sitting up, the events of yesterday crossed his mind. He had found the body of that poor boy, eaten by what looked like wolves. Then, what was worse, the medical team said that the bite marks looked human. Chris slammed his head back against the pillow and sighed gently. Jill had suggested he go home and when the captain got on the scene, he also had ordered the same thing. Running a hand down his face, he closed his eyes and stood up, moving to the bathroom. His and Claire's rooms were on the top floor, along with the bathroom. Then two sets of stairs led down to the dining and living area, as well as the kitchen. A balcony was connected to the living area threw a screen door, which he usually grilled from. The kitchen had a door to lead outside to a second balcony and the stairs that led down to the parking lot. The bottom of the last set of steps also gave way to a door with a latch and a small hall closet.

That was the basic lay out of their house. Once he finished in the shower and got his uniform on, a daily ritual, he moved to open Claire's door and wish her a good day. Till he saw that Billy was laying next to Claire in her bed, his arm hung around her loosely and their breathing steady. He knew the two decided to stay up and study but he didn't expect Claire to allow the man to lay with her. His lips pursed and he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and looked again. Billy was a decent young man. His clothing was on, he was simply snuggling up to her and was above the covers with a blanket over him. Resisting his protective big brother instincts, he turned and shut the door. There was something else that made him move away from the door easily. He suddenly had thoughts of Jill Valentine again. His stomach was tightening as he walked over to pour himself a cup of coffee while on his way to work. He sipped the brew and slowly inhaled. His eyes flickered over to the house phone suddenly, catching the red light flashing; it was signaling that he had a message. Playing it back, he froze up.

"Hello Chris." Came a cold voice. "I was just making sure that Claire," He put emphasis on her name, "was coming over to visit for Christmas. Tell her to give me a call back."

He placed his coffee down numbly and walked over to the drawer, going to pull out a piece of paper and a pencil. He knew that if he didn't have Claire call back in the same day, he'd be blamed. His face was hard as stone as he wrote his father's request down and placed it on the kitchen table. If he didn't feel sick before, he sure did now. He dumped the coffee down the drain, grabbed his keys off the small latch they were on by the door, and left. His throat was burning as he felt the winter air hit his face, the flash back of his father's face in his mind. The male had been muscular, not far from the stereo typical 'lumber jack' kinda body with a hair cut much like his own. His eyes were an icy blue that always scared Chris when he had gotten in trouble; back before the family seemed so divided. Before their mother had ran out on them. Before their father had become so angry with his son and so sick. Now he was only a stick of the man he once was. Stuck to a bed to spend Christmas in.

But that man would never let Chris near and Chris felt no need to force him. His thoughts were snapped back together as he got to the station. He sighed, getting out of the car. His buddies were inside, because it was below seven degrees and the snow was whipping around like little pebbles of ice. Chris walked in, hanging up his leather coat and scarf that he didn't remember putting on. His face must have said everything, because Barry moved over to him, placing an arm around his neck. "Chris, I have some paper work for you." He stated and all but shoved the lighter and younger male into his office.

Shutting the door behind him he nodded for Chris to sit before moving behind the desk. "What's eating you kid?"

Barry had always been like the uncle he never had. The man was about ten years older than himself and had a family, had a wife and kid.

"Nothing. Family business." He muttered under his breath.

Barry nodded, understandingly. He supposed that out of the entire force, Barry and Jill would be the only ones to get him to talk. "Your father, huh?"

"How did you-"

"Claire was more than happy to tell me why you were drunk last Christmas, laying in your car, and passed out."

Chris felt his cheeks have a pink tint to them. "Damn them siblings, huh?" He teased, but saw Barry was not going to back down. Now he felt like he was under his father's gaze and that made him uncomfortable. "I don't want a repeat of last year, Redfield."

Chris licked his lips, which were very dry now. "I...served in the air force for a while. Well, me and my commander had a dispute...I came home and dad called me a coward. Said I didn't want to serve my country because I was scared. Said no son of his was a coward and told me to not come back through that door."

"What's he think of this-"

"Thinks it's a piss poor way of making things better and trying to redeem myself." Chris said before Barry could complete his question.

"Ow. Sounds like a bitter old man."

"Claire still goes over in the hospital and I visit on my birthday and if something goes wrong. I can't fix the pieces that have fallen."

"No one-"

But the door opened and Rebecca peaked her head in, a nervous smile on her features. "Um, Mr. Redfield..."

"Chris, Rebecca. Just Chris."

"Well, um, Jill would like you to stop by her office in ten minutes. Said it was about yesterday's case."

In other words, she was checking on Chris. Now he was frustrated, angry to be treated like a glass figure who had cracked. "Tell her I'll be there soon." He said, a slight edge in his voice that made the girl flinch and nod, scurrying away. He'd apologize to her later. Standing, his hand was on the knob when Barry placed his hand on the male's shoulder. "Chris. Even if it ain't by blood, you always have a family. You just have to choose who is part of it."

These words took a moment to sink in, but when they did, his bad mood was gone. "Thanks Barry."


End file.
